


Peeta’s Reality

by slighty_insane11



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Depression, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-07-10 13:27:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19906453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slighty_insane11/pseuds/slighty_insane11
Summary: What if Peeta sank into the same depression that Katniss did when they returned home?





	1. Chapter 1

Sae’s insistence is the only reason that Katniss has even moved from her bed in weeks. Haymitch was in a drunk stupor, her mother and Gale has moved, Peeta had not returned home from 13, and Prim was gone. She had nothing to live for, except of course, the daily visits from Sae. Today she is later than usual when she comes in the door.  
“Your boy just got home, you know.” She says, as she ladles soup from a pot into a bowl from the kitchen. Of all the things she had said to me in the past this is what causes me to react.  
I try to speak, but my words don’t come out right. I clear my throat and try again. “Peeta’s back?” I ask desperately.  
“Who do you think I mean girly?” Sae jokes, “I went to bring him food, but his door is locked.”  
“Locked.” I repeat to myself silently. We never usually locked our doors unless we were trying to keep each other out. So that was it. Peeta had finally disassociated himself with the likes of me and Haymitch. I sit back in my chair and try to forget about him.  
It isn’t until another four days pass without Peeta leaving his house, or Sae being able to come in that I start to worry. I worry enough to get up and go to the window. I look towards Peeta’s house hoping to get a glimpse inside, but all of the blinds are down. I feel disgusting and decide to shower and comb out all of the knots in my hair. Peeta’s presence is enough for me to come alive again even if he hasn’t even spoken to me yet.


	2. Chapter 2

When I finally get the energy, and the courage to leave my house I head over to Haymitch’s place. It is possible that he already drank himself to death, and for some reason, I needed to make sure that hadn’t happened yet.  
I don’t even bother to knock before entering his house, and I am shocked to see that he is awake and finishing off a bowl of the stew that Sae had dropped off earlier. He is definitely not sober.  
“Finally back from the dead, Sweetheart?” Haymitch says in a slightly garbled voice that lacks humor.  
I only give him a dirty look, which makes him chuckle mirthlessly.  
“Have you see him?” I ask Haymitch with the same dirty look on my face. Out of all the things that I could say this seems to strike a chord with Haymitch. His face falls, and he just shakes his head.  
“The boy hasn’t been out yet. I guess he took a page out of your book and decided to waste away in there.” He says with a glib smile. I can tell he’s not going to be of much help, so I decide to head over to Peeta’s house alone.  
The forty feet from Haymitch’s house to Peeta’s feels like a lot more. It has almost been a year since I’ve seen Peeta, and I spent most of that time in a catatonic state. By the time I get to his door, I am a bundle of nerves. The front door is locked, but I go around the back. The back door is unlocked.  
When I get into the house everything is dark, and my eyes take a while to adjust. The house looks like it hasn’t been occupied in years, and a fine layer of dust coats most of the furniture. The last time anyone had lived in this house was before the Quarter Quell, and it had been about a year. I feel weird about being in his house without him knowing, but it also feels like it’s too late to turn back now.  
He’s nowhere on the first floor, so I head upstairs. I put my ear against his door, but I don’t hear anything. Finally, I raise my hand and knock softly on his door.  
“Peeta, are you in there?” I ask quietly. I test the doorknob, and it’s unlocked. I guess he figured no one would get this far. I open the door as quiet as I can then I tiptoe into the room. It’s dark. So dark in fact, that I cannot even see the other side of the room. Something must be covering the windows. I don’t know what to do at this point. I could turn on the light and try to talk to him. Or I could leave him in the dark like I would have in the past.  
I turn on the light. There are heavy blankets covering the windows, and the bed is covered in mountains of blankets. I walk to the side of the bed, and I move the sheets. There’s no Peeta. At first I’m confused, wondering if he moved rooms or something until I hear a bump coming from the closet. I open the closet door, and find Peeta lying in there. He’s covered in a thick blanket.  
“Peeta?” I say, but he doesn’t move or acknowledge that I had spoken in any way. I reach out an arm and touch his body beneath the blanket, and I move the blanket off of his face.  
“Peeta?” I question one more time hoping he would answer. He doesn’t though. I can tell he’s awake because he clenches his eyes against the light entering the closet, and his breathing is uneven. I wonder if this is how I looked only a couple of days ago.  
I run my hand softly along Peeta’s jaw. He flinches at the touch, and I feel his jaw clench under my fingers. His body is trembling slightly, as I lie down beside him. I wrap my arm around him. He has gotten so skinny that he is almost as small as me. I wonder when the last time that he ate was, but for now I resolve myself to just stay here beside him.


End file.
